Ladder stabilizers and standoff devices are not new to the art. However, the instant device allows for more stable, secure access to elevated portions of a home or building due to the four non-slip pads on which all the weight is placed. The device also features self-leveling and self-adjusting standoffs, which attach to any fiberglass or aluminum extension ladder through the hollow rungs of the ladder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,860 issued to Beane on Jan. 25, 1983, describes a device that is a standoff with two non-slip pads. This prior art device is limited in many aspects. The standoff mounts to the top surface of the rungs obstructing safe use of the effected rung. The non-slip pads that are mounted to the standoffs are not adjustable. FIG. 1 of the reference shows the non-slip pads resting within a gutter which limits positioning where a gutter attachment is located. Locating the standoff within the gutter is not safe and if the ladder were to slip it would damage the gutter. This design also does not allow the device to be used against a wall. The standoff is secured by clamps and does not afford the strength and stability of the standoff being mounted through the rung itself. The standoff of Beane cannot be used on a flat roof and is not self leveling or adjustable for the distance between the roof and the ladder. The adjustability and the self-leveling aspects of the instant device make it far more unique and superior to Beane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,229 issued to Hastreiter on May 28, 2002 is taught as a ladder attachment kit. This device fails to provide the adjustability in the same manner as the instant device. It also is limited in that it is only capable of roof access and not capable of use on a wall. The device mounts to the top of the ladder only. The pads are not spring loaded and in the process of placement of the device, the pads may not self-level, raising the potential for the user to attempt to access the roof only to fall when their weight causes the pad to level. The device also only has one pad per side thus not affording the level of stability of the instant device. The instant device allows for the distance between the sets to be adjustable giving it greater support or better weight distribution across the non-slip pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,469 issued to Weger, Jr. on Apr. 20, 2004 is a guard plate and safety anchor. This device actually is affixed to the roof and not the ladder. This device has many substantial drawbacks when compared to the instant device. The attachment of the ladder security device itself could be dangerous because one does not have a way to secure a ladder for its deployment. Also it claims to secure to the roof between the roof surface and the surfaces covering or between the roof and its shingles. This would damage the roof covering or shingle, substantially limiting the usefulness of the device. The device is portable in the sense that every time one wants to move the ladder one must remove and redeploy the device which is time consuming and potentially very damaging to the roof. Finally the safety bar obstructs the ladder rung making it dangerous.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,259 issued to Hoey on Aug. 3, 1999 is a safety ladder attachment. The primary purpose of this device is ladder stabilization and not as a standoff. The instant device accomplishes both a stabilizing and standoff device. The device is limited in that it only attaches to the top of the ladder making it top heavy. Because it does not act as a standoff it can damage the drip edge or gutter easily. The device is only capable of use on a roof. It will not work against a wall. The pad configuration is limited also in that it only provides two pads, one for each side, and the pads are not spring loaded so as to give the self-leveling feature of the instant device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,518 that issued to Walker on Feb. 8, 2005 is a ladder stabilizer. This device is different from the instant device in that its support arms do not pivot or self-level. The instant device has a set of support pads where the Walker device has only one per side that does not allow the device to adjust to uneven surfaces. The lack of more support pads does not allow the Walker device to distribute weight evenly or help to prevent damage to roofs, sidings or angled surfaces. Like many of the other prior art devices, this device attaches to the outside surface of the rungs creating a safety hazard. The device also mounts to the ladder at a ninety-degree angle, which does not allow for safe contact on angled roofs. The lack of pivoting arms and extra pads as well as the mounting through the rungs show a clear difference between the instant invention and the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,249 that issued to Gibson on Jun. 4, 1965 is a gutter bridge ladder attachment. The device has many of the trappings of the other prior art devices. The device attaches inside the ladder rungs raising a safety issue with rung obstruction. The device also has a single pad system limiting the weight distribution and its ability to safely grip a surface. The clamping system is cumbersome and is designed for round rung ladders where current ladders now have multiple shapes, including triangular. The single pad system also does not include a spring load.